Customer Reviews

SimpleTech STIUSB235120 120 GB SimpleDrive Hi-Speed USB 2.0 External Hard Drive

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I've tried a number of USB2 external drives and most share an annoying characteristic: they're too noisy to leave running all the time. (The noise is usually a high-pitched whine.)

I bought the Simpletech because it was advertised to be quiet. And I've found that to be absolutely correct. I leave it on all the time and don't notice it at all.

Writing to it and reading from it seem very fast.

I can't comment on the claim made by an earlier reviewer that the backup software provided with the drive is slow, because I haven't used it. But I have used both Acronis's TrueImage and Stomp's BackUpMyPC, and both have been satisfactory.

I'm very pleased with this drive.

I needed an external hard drive because I was close to exceeding the available space on my laptop (mainly because of music files). I chose this item because of the comparably low price and because of its sleek design. Everything worked as it should have, and it took just over an hour to move 40 GB of files from my laptop to the external drive via the included USB connection.

The hard drive is a one touch operation as advertised. The directions explain how to plug in the hardware--but you have to figure out that the software needs to be installed. I had the same problem as a previous reviewer. It takes 20 hours to backup about 25 gig of hard drive---which is absolutely unacceptable. The drive operates with a medium churning noise. I have XP, but my version does not have the Microsoft backup. When I inquired with Simple Tech, rep admitted the software could be sluggish and gave me a website with free software I could download, but he emphasized that Simple Tech does not support this software.

I gave the product a rating of 3 stars because it is only half a product without acceptable software!

As a writer I am required to keep back up files of my books in case of emergencies. I had one external hard drive and it was noise, ran hot, and when I got to where I REALLY needed it shorted out. I have seen bought this one. And am I a happy camper. Simple to use as a jump drive. Just plug it in and go. No install drivers (for the most part). So quiet I never hear it. Without the red button light to say it's on, or putting your hand on it to feel it hum, I wouldn't know its working.

SimpleTech is just that. SIMPLE.

I highly recommend it.

I never had an external drive before. I have a Windows 2000 and a Windows 98 machine at the office and a Windows XP machine at home. I back up all three machines just using Explorer with no problems whatsoever. On the 98 machine, you do have to install a driver which it performed automatically over the web. Easy to use with no problems.

I recently purchased this hard drive and I have to say I'm impressed. I'm no "tecchie" but I can at least plug in a USB cord--and that's all I had to do! No long manual to read, no complicated setup process, just plug it in and start using it. Hope this helps someone...

Be aware the product description mentions a FIREWIRE connection, in addition to the USB connection. The model shipped by Amazon does NOT have the FIREWIRE connection. It only comes with the USB port. You need to go elsewhere if you want FIREWIRE as well. I had to return two to Amazon and get a refund (they shipped the same version twice).

I ended up getting one from Dell.com and the product works fine. No complaints.

I bought this External Hard Drive at the end of June and by the end of July the Drive just did not work! The active light still comes on bud the disk will not spin up. SimpleTech will replace the drive but will do nothing to help retrieve the two years of digital photos I have stored on the disk. Simpletech will not even recommend a company that can help. I've looked around and some data retrieval houses want 600.00 to get the data from the disk. Do not buy this product.

A nice, small and relatively quiet external hardrive, I found the SimpleDrive 120GB to be everything I wanted (I'm a college student who wishes to regularly back up his laptop hard drive in case it is stolen, which unfortunately is not unlikely here!). Since it is a "Plug & Play" device, you can just throw away the drivers cd if you have a Windows XP computer and the thing will set itself up in seconds. Although some reviewers complained about the speed of the software, I found it to be quite satisfactory myself. I started the backup when I went to sleep last night at 2a.m. and everything was finished when I woke up (and mind you, it's backing up a lot of gigabites of music and various files). Overall, I suggest this easy to use external hard drive for anyone who wishes to keep their computer backed up.

Simpletech's Simpledrives share an overall appealing exterior design although the "on" and "reading" LED indicators could have a better finish. For instance, on the unit I bought, the "read" LED indicator is much dimmer than the "on" indicator. Thus, it is hard to determine when the unit is actually accessing the HD. I also expected a lighter unit... a minus for portability. On an Athlon based Windows PC, operation was flawless although I strongly recommend connecting this device to an USB 2.0 port as USB 1.1 connections can result in very slow transfer rates (I spent almost two days backing-up a 40 Gb HD). An older Windows ME based notebook initially recognized the drive after installing the included drivers and following the quick set-up guide. However, after a few minutes of use, my older notebook no longer recognized the unit. Severall uninstall and install procedures did not solve the problem. The included on-line manual was useless (this manual should be useless for any other purpose as it only shows how to install a HD in the drive chassis) to solve the problem and I actually wasn't able to get it working again. On-line help was also useless for the matter. This is my first external hard drive and I made the purchase decision because of the low price offered at Amazon. However, the flaws encountered might weigh up when considering the reliability of this drive. Future buyers should seek information on on-line forums addressing the reliability issues before making their buying decisions. On the plus side, the unit is truly quiet and stays cool. Haven't used the bundled software so can't comment on that.
***
After a few months of use, the drive is working perfectly well. I have not experienced the annoying sounds reported by other reviewers. I did ask for tech support assistance as I lost the drive's feet when I moved to another city. Simpletech promptly replaced the feet at no charge. Thank you! Simpletech. I wouold consider giving this product four stars intead of three.